A massive great white shark weighing 729 pounds and measuring 10 feet 2 inches has been tracked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, according to researchers from Ocearch and the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory.
Shark named Bella tracked near Quebec
The shark, named Bella, was detected moving through the Gulf of St. Lawrence near the northern edge of the Quebec archipelago. She was first tagged and released on July 18, 2025, in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, by the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station team. Her last signal transmission occurred on July 6 at 10:51 a.m., according to Ocearch.
Ocearch, a Florida-based organization, uses satellite tagging technology to monitor shark movements across the North Atlantic. The tagging is part of research studying great white shark migration patterns, behaviour, and seasonal feeding habits in Atlantic Canada.
Bella's journey from Cape Cod
Over the past month, Bella travelled from Cape Cod into the Gulf of Maine, then along the Nova Scotia coast and near Prince Edward Island before continuing north toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Ocearch reported. Her name, meaning "beautiful" in Italian, was chosen in honour of an Ocearch supporter.
The St. Lawrence Shark Observatory stated that Bella's presence should not be interpreted as an unusual event. In a news release, the observatory noted that the first detection primarily serves as a reminder that white sharks are now regular seasonal visitors to the area.
Seal population attracts sharks
The Gulf of St. Lawrence hosts a healthy seal population that attracts great white sharks during the summer months. As summer temperatures rise, great white sharks are increasingly known to travel as far north as Canada, according to Time Out Montreal.
Authorities advise people to use common sense when swimming, such as avoiding murky waters, not swimming at dawn and dusk, and staying away from areas where seals are present.
Shark attacks extremely rare in Canada
According to the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory's Canadian Shark Attack Registry, cited by CBC News, shark attacks are extremely rare in Canada. Only 15 confirmed attacks have occurred over the past 330 years, with only one confirmed shark-related human death in 1953. That fatality involved a fisherman who drowned when a white shark rammed a fishing boat off the coast of Fourchu, Nova Scotia.
Largest shark in Canada is Greenland shark
Ocearch notes that the largest shark found in Canada is the Greenland shark, which can grow up to 6.4 metres long and weigh more than 2,000 pounds. It inhabits the cold, deep waters of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
